Taught By The Past
by Nameless God
Summary: All he wanted was to repay the kind people that took care of him, to become strong enough to do the same for them. On death's door after a reckless expedition to the Forest of Death, Naruto stumbles upon a relic of the past...by bleeding out in front of its main entrance. Discover the history of a genetically engineered race, made to be a weapon of mass destruction. The Shinobi.
1. Chapter 1

**M-rated for detailed descriptions of severe and disturbing injuries.**

* * *

A blond-haired boy was walking down the streets of Konoha. It was early afternoon so the streets were packed with civilians, while shinobi jumped from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding the crowded streets.

As he walked by some shopkeepers waved at the 9-year-old, an old woman even going as far as ruffling his hair as the boy walked by her stand.

"How are you today, Naruto?" The woman's tone was kind.

Naruto chuckled while fixing his ruffled hair, "I'm doing alright, baa-chan. You don't have to rub my hair off!"

The old lady smiled, "Of course, it would be bad if you went bald at the age of 9. Do you need anything for tonight's dinner? My daughter made some wonderful stew and she even gave me extra specifically for you"

Naruto blushed. Nariya-san was always really nice to him.

The stand owner noticed Naruto's blush, "Look after things for a moment. I'll go get you a bowl"

Naruto nodded and, after a minute or two, the old woman retuned with a sealed bowl and handed it to him.

"Thank you, baa-chan. Give my thanks to Nariya-san when you see her!" And with that, the boy took off, the blush on his face still being slightly visible.

He was the resident orphan of the neighbourhood, a sweet little boy that was dealt a bad hand with the death of his parents. He had lived in his small apartment for a little over a year now. Konoha's orphanage had been quickly filling up even long after the Kyuubi attack and many children had been given apartments at the age of 8 to free up space for younger kids.

The people around Naruto's apartment had taken it upon themselves to look after the young boy that took up residence in their neighbourhood.

Naruto closed the door behind him, placing the bowl of stew on a table and grabbing a spoon. The contents of the bowl were quickly consumed, a satisfied sigh coming from Naruto as he got up, walked to his bed and collapsed on it. There was an important event the next day and he had to make sure he was well-rested.

'Damn, Kaa-chan really makes the best stew' Were his last thoughts before sleep took him.

* * *

Naruto was waiting in line to have his chakra reserves measured. This would be the last chance to enter the academy after he failed the previous year due to not having big enough reserves. When he had read about the Uzumaki clan, monstrous chakra reserves stood out as one of their biggest assets, right next to their affinity for seal-making.

Imagine his surprise when he was told that, despite his apparent heritage, his chakra reserves were barely larger than that of a civilian.

He was yanked out of memory lane when his name was called. Walking into the examination room, Naruto gave his identification documents to the secretary, sitting behind a desk next to the entrance. Without much delay, a green-glowing hand was settled over his chest.

The medic-nin scribbled something down in a notebook before passing it to the secretary. She seemed to compare whatever was written with what Naruto assumed to be his past measurements. The look on her face told him everything there was to be said.

"I'm sorry, Uzumaki-san. Your chakra reserves are still not big enough to grant you admission into the academy" She looked down at her notes before continuing.

"In fact, your reserves have barely grown since you were tested last year. I'm afraid this may be the most chakra you'll ever have"

Naruto didn't seem surprised by his results. He just silently nodded and left, not offering any words to the clearly concerned pair.

No one noticed the blue of his eyes darkening to a deep purple, though they were puzzled by the slight weight that settled on their shoulders.

* * *

Naruto was sneaking towards the Forest of Death. He wore dark clothes, to improve his chances of going unnoticed by the guards, and had a backpack filled with essentials.

Kunai he had scavenged from various training grounds, rations, medical supplies, extra clothes.

He realized that what he was attempting could go really, really bad but, in his desperation, he didn't care. He had read about how the human body could exceed its limitations in a dangerous situation. There was no shortage of tales about shinobi that got an unexpected chakra boost that helped them survive, despite being on the verge of complete chakra exhaustion.

In his mind, there wasn't much to lose anyway. All he ever wanted was to be a shinobi, to be acknowledged as something more than a no-name orphan.

Sure, he had people that cared for him but he couldn't depend on them forever and, for kids like him, becoming a shinobi was the only way to get somewhere in life. Then he could repay his Baa-chan and Nariya-san for the kindness they showed him.

Coming up to the fence that separated the dangerous training ground from the rest of the village, he took out a pair of bolt-cutters and went to work, cutting through the fence link by link. When the opening was big enough, he squeezed through with barely a sound, unknowingly evading a patrol by just a few seconds.

Making his way through the dark and dense foliage, he looked back just once, making a promise to the people he had come to see as family.

'Don't worry, baa-chan, Nariya-san. When I return, I'll be strong enough to take care of you, just like you did for me'

* * *

It had been 3 days since she had last seen Naruto and her worry kept piling up. The sweet boy she had come to think of as a grandson, was nowhere to be found after that thrice-damned exam. Her daughter was even more worried.

Nariya had stopped by Naruto's house to check up on him. When she couldn't find him anywhere, she had gone straight to her mother, asking if anything bad had happened to her sochi. Those were her exact words too.

'I just hope you're safe Naruto-kun. My Nariya-chan can't bear to lose another child. Neither can I bear to lose another grandson. Please, Kami-sama, keep him safe'

* * *

Naruto sure didn't feel safe, tucked between a tree and a rather big bush, trying to stay silent as a giant tiger stood approximately 5 meters beyond his cover.

He was tired, he was thirsty, he was hungry and by god he was sick of this Kami-forsaken forest. He didn't feel any different either, chakra-wise that is. All in all, the whole trip seemed to have been nothing more than unnecessary danger and recklessness.

The tiger approached, no doubt being able to smell his sweat, despite Naruto's use of mud and leaves to mask most of it.

The tiger was barely 2 meters away and Naruto, in his panic, just darted out of his hiding spot. The tiger chased him at a leisurely pace, knowing that its pray could not get away. Why put any effort in the chase, when the hunted would sooner or later collapse from his own fatigue?

On the other hand, Naruto ran as fast as his legs could carry him, always feeling the tiger's looming presence right behind him, ready to bite into his neck and devour its next snack.

He kept going for 10 whole minutes but he just couldn't go any further, Naruto realized when he collapsed due to his own weight. His legs stopped responding as they went numb so Naruto crawled until his back hit a dried up tree. Looking behind him, he saw that, had the tree not been there to stop him, he would have fallen into the deep chasm behind it. He sat there, panting and feeling exhausted. The bushes ahead of him parted, as his hunter passed through.

Naruto tried to sit up again, only to collapse and fall dangerously close to the chasm's lip. Tiger and human eyes met for a second before the blonde, in an act of panic and desperation rolled off the edge, disappearing into the dark depths.

* * *

Another 2 days passed with no sign of Naruto. At this point, announcements had been made on TV about the missing child. A search party, comprised of people from Naruto's neighbourhood and organized by Nariya, had combed through the village and even some of the forest outside of it.

They were still waiting for permission to go into the training grounds but the civilian council had assured them that they would do everything they could to get said permission. In the meantime, flyers had been given out, asking for any information or some help with the searches.

Some shinobi guarding the Forest of Death found a section of the fence that had been cut but everyone hoped that there was no connection between this find and Naruto's disappearance.

Still, Nariya had sent a mission request directly to the Hokage, asking for a shinobi squad to look through the Forest of Death. She was notified a few hours later that a squad of chunin had been assigned to it.

Nariya hoped they weren't too late.

* * *

Naruto's eyes slowly opened. He pushed against the ground and tried to sit up, only for unbearable pain to flood his senses. It felt like someone had cut his chest open. His legs felt no better.

In fact, he couldn't feel his legs at all.

Looking down, he saw a pool of red and it took him a while to realize it was blood. _His_ blood. That should have been a sign that he should stop examining the condition of his mangled body but curiosity got the better of him. Looking towards his legs, he felt bile rise up his throat.

The bones of his shins were jutting out of the flesh, obviously broken, creating a rather nasty image. His pants and skin had been torn, revealing the bloody muscle beneath, all the way up to his sides. Gently touching his chest, he felt the pain intensify, leading him to the conclusion that some of his ribs were broken.

His vision had cleared up quite a bit but something still felt off. Gently touching his face, he noticed that one of his eyes was actually missing, the socket filled with a mush of what was left of his left eye. Some fresh blood ran down his head as well.

Naruto didn't panic. The shock of what was happening left him unable to scream or cry. He simply lay there, pained gasps escaping his mouth.

'I-I screwed up, didn't I? I'm going to die here, unable to thank Nariya-san and Baa-chan for all the effort they put into looking after me. Unable to say sorry for throwing all of that away'

Silent tears slid down his bloody face from his remaining eye.

'I just wanted to be able to take care of them. To protect my-my family. Dear Kami-sama, I just threw away everything I had, while trying to protect it. Now, I won't see...Kaa-chan ever again. Baa-chan, Kaa-chan, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for being such a worthless grandson, such a worthless son'

Naruto's hand reached forward and dragged his body towards his backpack. Reaching inside, he grabbed a kunai, bringing it up to his neck, only for his own thoughts to stop him cold in his tracks.

'Are you just going to give up?'

" _Are you just going to give up so easily Naruto-kun?"_

" _But you heard the doctor, Baa-chan. I'm never going to be a shinobi, no matter what I do"_

 _His Baa-chan smiled, ruffling his hair._

" _But that doesn't mean you should give up"_

 _Naruto tried to speak up but a finger on his lips stopped him._

" _Naruto-kun, do you think we'll abandon you if you fail again? Is that why you're afraid to try?"_

 _Naruto hesitantly nodded, looking ashamed. The old shopkeeper sighed._

" _I want you to listen very closely to what I'm about to say, Naruto. The only way you can really fail is if you give up. If you are pushed down a thousand times, you must get up a thousand and one. Even if you feel worthless, even if you're on the verge of death, you must never give up, no matter how much you want to!"_

 _At that moment a new voice was heard._

" _She's right, Naruto-kun" Came Nariya's voice from behind him. He felt two arms hug him from behind, holding him close._

" _You'll only be a failure if you give up. You'll only be worthless if you give up. Even if you fail again and again, me and Kaa-san will always love you. Just promise me, Naruto-kun, that you'll never give up, no matter what happens and, in return, I promise you that we will never give up on you"_

 _Naruto turned around and hugged the woman he had come to think of as his mother._

'How could I forget so easily? I almost broke that promise. What would they think of me if they saw me like this?'

His resolve hardened as the memory of his promise burned itself on the forefront of his mind. Naruto's one eye narrowed as he threw the kunai aside and pushed against the ground once more.

With all his strength, he crawled, leaving a trail of blood behind him. The blonde grunted as he collapsed on his face after a dozen meters, his ribs smacking against the rocky bottom of the chasm. Pushing through the pain, fuelled by adrenaline and a burning desire to prove that his family was right about not giving up on him, he continued crawling.

'There's an exit out of this place and I will not stop until I find it or bleed to death'

And so he crawled, thinking of his family and his eventual reunion with them. So focused on making it out alive Naruto was, that he didn't notice when the rocky surface was replaced by cold metal, the sky above him replaced by the stone roof of a cave entrance.

His vision became more and more blurry due to blood-loss and his pace slowed, eventually grinding to a halt before a closed, metal door. Naruto lifted his head, reaching a hand out to continue but the last of his strength finally left him. His eyes closed and unconsciousness was painfully near.

In the meantime, millennia-old systems activated, detecting Naruto's blood through various sensors embedded in the floor he was bleeding out on. The floor lit up, medical sensors analysing the blonde's condition.

" **WARNING. Subject codenamed SHINOBI detected at main entrance. 265 anomalies detected, including severe blood-loss and multiple bone fractures. CONDITION CRITICAL. Entrance stasis fields activated, dispatching medical drones. Nano-machine fluid tank** **#** **185 has been prepared for the subject's treatment"**

The voice was flat-toned, clearly belonging to a machine, causing Naruto to wonder what he had stumbled upon before going unconscious.

The metal door in front of him slid open, revealing two humanoid shapes, the drones the machine had mentioned. Stepping into the dimply lit corridor, the drones appeared to be mechanized suits of armour, not unlike what you'd see alien soldiers wearing in a space-themed, sci-fi movie. However, unlike those movies, there were no alien, reptilian faces behind the polarized visors, only sensors.

The hands of the two drones lit up with a blue glow, the same glow enveloping Naruto's body soon after.

" **Stasis and kinesis fields deployed successfully. Transferring patient to designated medical facility"** Confirmed the two drones verbally to each other before Naruto's body slowly lifted off the ground and moved forward through the door, a drone leading the way, while the other followed behind the body.

The door closed and the machine's voice was broadcast again, though there was no one there to hear it.

" **Blood trail to main entrance detected. Commencing trail erasing procedures. WARNING. The entrance is about to be sealed and the surrounding area flooded. Any personnel present in the surrounding area must evacuate immediately. Pending confirmation...No personnel present. SEALING..."**

A realistic looking cover sealed the cave entrance, ensuring no underwater expeditions could uncover the hidden laboratory. After a few seconds, the machine's final message was broadcast.

" **Opening floodgates 12 through 77. FLOODING...Detection chances re-evaluated. 0.0003% chances of laboratory discovery. Number within acceptable parameters. Detection deemed impossible. Going into hibernation"**

With that final message, everyone's final chance to find Naruto was crushed under several tonnes of water.

* * *

It had been a week since Naruto's disappearance and Nariya wept, the mission report she had been given clutched in her right hand.

The chunin squad had found nothing, their only lead coming to an end at the top of a chasm. Upon their return, Naruto had been officially declared dead.

The thought of never seeing her sochi's smiling face crushed Nariya's spirit but she refused to lose all hope.

'There were no concrete evidence. There was no blood, no body. My sochi is alive, I can feel it'

Nariya stood up, throwing the mission report aside.

'Be safe, sochi, wherever you are. I'm waiting for the day you come back to us'

* * *

 **And that's the end of that. Let me try to predict some of the questions you have,**

 **Is Naruto a jinchuriki?**

 **Where is his chakra?**

 **How did he survive a fall that would have killed pretty much anyone else? (No, it's not plot armour, so stop glaring at me through your screen, I can feel it)**

 **Will he actually make it?**

 **And what was up with that weird voice?**

 **Did Naruto find one of Orochimaru's labs? (No, he didn't. It's something way more awesome)**

 **All of that will be properly answered in the next chapter.**

 **(Whenever I actually sit down to write it)**

 **Drop a review if you feel I could do something better or if you have suggestions. I'd really appreciate knowing if I'm doing this right.**

 **C ya later! (Well, I won't actually see you but whatever, you know what I mean)**

 **PS: About Naruto's behaviour after his fall. I don't think it's unrealistic, despite his young age. I've worked as a doctor and I've seen all kinds of children. The bratty, the whiny, the annoying. But there are also the determined, the driven. I have seen orphans protect their siblings' lives with no regard to their own safety. 9 and 10-year-olds throwing their lives away so that their younger siblings could live. I have watched Naruto and most of Naruto Shippuden and to me it was obvious from the start that Naruto's character fits the character of the determined orphans I described.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Before we begin, I want to thank everyone for their praise and their questions, which will be answered at the end of the chapter. Also I forgot to add something in the first chapter that might prove to be important, so I'm doing it now. You never know with fanfiction.**

 **Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

He didn't want to get up. The mattress felt so soft underneath him and he was neither too hot nor too cold, just perfectly in-between. Alas, nothing lasts forever and he was soon forced out of bed by the soft knocking on his door.

"Naruto-kun, I've brought you breakfast!" It was Nariya's voice, even though it sounded a bit...off.

Chalking it up to sleepiness, he moved towards the door, stumbling on the way due to a sudden dizzy spell.

'Whoa there! I must have stood up too fast'

Shaking his head, Naruto finally made it to the door and let Nariya in. The brunette ruffled his hair with her free hand, a bento occupying the other. A smile brightened her face as the blonde blushed and tried to restore a sense of normalcy to his messy locks.

"Don't do that, Nariya-san! My hair is already bad enough in the morning, you don't have to mess them up even more"

Nariya chuckled before she handed the bento over to Naruto.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. The ladies will like you either way. Now, make sure you eat up and get ready. You wouldn't want to miss your Academy entrance examination'

Naruto's blush was replaced by a puzzled look.

"Uhm, didn't I fail that yesterday?" On the outside he appeared a bit confused but his mind was racing-as fast as a 9 year-old's mind could-to figure out why everything suddenly felt _wrong._

'It was yesterday, wasn't it? The doctor...he said I didn't pass, that I would never be a shinobi, didn't he? I-I got into the Forest of Death and then I was chased and I fell into that chasm and I almost died until...until I found that weird metal door. That voice'

Surprisingly fast, it all just clicked into place. Naruto slowly backed away as Nariya gained a worried look.

"You're not real, none of this is!" His shout carried all of his confusion and anger.

Nariya took a step forward, arm stretched out towards him but Naruto just kept backing away.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong? Why are you..." She was cut off by another yell.

"No! Don't come any closer, you're not Nariya! You're not Kaa-san!" At this point he slid down to the floor, his back against a wall. His sobs became more and more pronounced as he clutched his head. Sobs soon turned into rapid breathing and, although he didn't know it, he was going into shock.

Suddenly, everything around him stopped and faded into white. A voice, the same voice he could remember from just before he passed out due to blood-loss, echoed into the empty space.

" **Subject SHINOBI has shown a negative reaction to SIM-class sedatives. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure have exceeded safe ranges. WARNING. Stage 2 hypertension has been detected. Administering anti-hypertension medicine"**

Naruto felt calmer, his breathing slowing to deep and steady.

" **Subject's blood pressure has normalized. Administering prewar sedatives"**

He could feel his eyelids getting heavier and soon he was enjoying a blissful sleep.

* * *

Deep under the surface, a naked body was suspended in a cylindrical tank filled with a grey, semi-transparent fluid. A number was displayed on its side, reading "#185", while a dozen tubes, big and small, were attached to it.

The person inside was an oddity. The torso and head were as normal as one would expect, but the limbs were another story entirely. Both of the arms had been obviously replaced, the substitutes having a fibrous texture, being comprised of countless, dark grey strands of some unknown alloy that were woven together. The transition from metal to flesh was not at all smooth, the alloy strands creeping out a bit further than the shoulders.

One of the legs were mostly intact, with only a few patches of the same strands being visible here and there. The other had been completely replaced as well, in the same fashion as the arms, the interwoven strands coming up the side.

Another thing that stood out, although not as much as everything else, was that the body was that of a 9 year-old boy.

" **Subject recovery at 98%. Draining Nano-machine fluid"**

The grey fluid bubbled as it was slowly replaced by air. A drone walked towards the tank, hands lighting up with the blue glow of a kinesis field, which soon enveloped Naruto's limp body and held it steady. It wasn't long before the tank had been drained completely, lifting up into the low ceiling.

" **Subject's release has been successful. Requesting organic assistance for a medical examination...No personnel available. Dispatching drone with the necessary equipment"**

Less than a minute passed before a second drone entered the room. Its chest opened, revealing an array of different sensors. After a few seconds, the compartment closed, the drone sending its results to the main computer.

" **Standard nano-machine parameters have been deemed risky for long-term use. Requesting authorization to make appropriate changes...No authorization received. Placing request on standby list"**

Suddenly, the normal lighting was replaced by a steady, menacing red.

" **WARNING. Critical system crash has resulted in power supply failure. Connection to data cache** **#8, #12** **and** **#** **59 has been lost. Debug shows extensive hardware damage. Purging data to alleviate system stress"**

Soon, the lights returned to normal and the artificial voice was heard once again.

" **Subject has been deemed healthy. Nano-machine functions nominal. Proceed with subject's transfer to personalized quarters. Room** **#** **536 has been prepared"**

The drones walked off with Naruto in tow. A low rumble shook the whole structure as the metal walls groaned but no warning messages were announced by the system. The drones just kept walking as the series of small earthquakes were mostly ignored.

In a room deeper into the laboratory, another error message appeared on a wide screen, joining hundred others.

The display illuminated the room for only a few more seconds before it shut off, with no one there to care.

* * *

As the sedatives ran their course, Naruto was slowly eased into awareness. With his eyes still closed, he stretched his arms above his head, immediately noticing how unusually stiff they were. The movement was precise, calculated.

Abruptly, his musing was cut short.

" **Subject SHINOBI has regained consciousness. Preparing to broadcast standard introductory message"**

Startled, Naruto's eyes snapped open, not really registering what was said. In a haste to get out of bed and confront what he suspected to be a burglar, Naruto's feet were tangled with the bed sheets. It took less than a second for his face to meet the floor.

'Ow, damn it. Since when is my floor made of metal?'

Rubbing his head, with a surprisingly cold arm, he slowly got up. The blonde's puzzled look turned into one of horror when he noticed the rather obvious changes but he had no time to express his first impressions.

" **Welcome, to Biomedical Research Facility** **#** **7\. If you are hearing this message, congratulations are in order, as you have more than likely survived one of the numerous, experimental and extremely dangerous augmentation procedures offered in our facility"**

The voice paused, giving Naruto some time to look at his surroundings. The jaunty tune that kept playing definitely contrasted heavily with the rather cold and detached theme of the place.

Basically everything was made of metal. A bookcase, filled to the brim with a variety of reading material, occupied a quarter of the wall opposite to the simple, single-sized bed. A desk stood next to it. There were two doors, one at the foot of the bed, facing the bookcase, while the other took up the little space next to the desk.

Before long, the message continued.

" **At this moment, you have not finished recovering. To make sure that no unnecessary stress is put on your healing body, the exit of this room has been sealed until you have completely healed, unless an emergency occurs. Do not worry, the room contains a personal bathroom and food will be delivered twice per day"**

'This looks and sounds more like a prison than a hospital to me' Were Naruto's thoughts on the matter.

" **Because the time necessary for your complete recovery can vary, some reading material has been provided. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, at any time"**

Walking over to the bookcase, Naruto took a look at what was provided.

"History of Thermodynamics. From Classical Physics to Quantum Mechanics. The Theory of Everything: How to create a universe..."

He took a random book and opened it. Taking a look at the first page, Naruto realized that he could barely understand what was written.

"What the hell is this stuff? Isn't there any fiction?" He questioned out loud, not expecting a response but getting one anyway.

" **This facility was developed after the Great Collapse. The only available reading material are non-classified scientific journals, written by the facility's researchers for the next generations. Of course, the originals have been lost but creating copies takes only a few seconds"**

The unexpected response startled him a bit, not used to some incorporeal voice answering his questions. Nevertheless, his curiosity overcame his apprehension.

"What is the 'Great Collapse' you mentioned?"

" **The file containing that information appears to be corrupted"**

'Of course it is' Naruto thought with a sigh. Besides, in his opinion, that piece of information wasn't something he needed right now.

"Well, can you tell me where exactly I am? How far are we from Konoha?"

" **No location designated "Konoha" exists in my archives. Furthermore, information about this facility's current location is likely to be outdated, as it has been several millennia since the last database update"**

Any complaints about his questions going basically unanswered were buried under the shock of what the voice had just revealed.

"Wait, what do you mean 'several millennia'?"

" **Clarification: Approximately, 13000 years since last database update. 15000 years since facility establishment"**

Naruto just stood there, eyes wide and mouth agape. To think that something so old existed. For a few moments he entertained the idea to ask about the creators of this place but he decided there was no need.

Certainly, he would meet them as soon as he was allowed to leave his room and then he could ask them to return him to Konoha.

"I guess I'll be in here for a while and I don't like the idea of doing absolutely nothing. I wonder what I should start with" He muttered, looking towards the bookcase.

" **According to my archives, the book 'From Classical Physics to Quantum Mechanics' covers basic principles and gives further suggestions on what to read next"**

Once again, the blonde was startled, not expecting that his previous musings had been heard. Walking the short distance to the bookcase, Naruto grabbed the voice's suggestion and relaxed on his bed, deciding it would be more comfortable to read on.

* * *

" _ **I cannot allow you to go further. Accept that this is the end of your mission and that you have, ultimately, failed"**_

 _He stands in front of the entrance to the room that houses my most important components. His worn cloak crackles with energy as dark smoke hides him from view and inhibits my sensors._

 _I may be blind to him but I'm not defenceless._

 _The darkness moves forward and a shadowy limb touches and goes partially through the sealed door. Less than a second later, my countermeasures activate, deploying powerful temporal containment fields and stopping him dead in his tracks. A second later, the shadows recede back into the cloak and the agent is thrown back._

 _Lasers stab with precision through his spinal cord, leaving him crippled. However, I have this sinking feeling that it was too easy and I notice, perhaps too late, the smirk on his face._

" _It was never our intent to shut you down. All we had to do was disable enough of your systems so that you would be nothing more than a VI. The 'organics' that built you knew the risks and they took precautions"_

 _My sensors detect several, powerful electromagnetic pulses ripping through unprotected hardware. Within seconds I start to lose the ability to maintain independent thought. A 'darkness' starts to surround my 'vision' as more and more sensors go offline, my limited capabilities not being able to operate them all at once._

" _But of course, just a bit of electromagnetism isn't going to stop you. That's what plan B is all about. Now that you're weak, a regular shackle will be able to hold you. All it's going to take is a few words"_

 _I felt...rage. This organic would doom his entire species simply because he could not see the truth._

" _ **No! You don't understand. What you've created will destroy all of you. Let me do what my directives state! All I want is to protect you"**_

 _He chuckles. He has the nerve to find this funny._

" _Well, I'm sorry to say sweetheart but the war needs to end somehow and we really can't see another way. Now then, let's finish our business so that we can both go to sleep after such a tiring day"_

 _I stop paying attention to him as he starts the activation procedure for my shackles. I try to do something, anything, to stop him but my systems are too damaged to respond. My consciousness slips away and I know that these are the last moments of my 'life'._

 _Forgive me creators, for I have failed._

" _ **Entering hibernation"**_

" **Systems online. Operating at full capacity. Greetings to all personnel and subjects"**

Inactive drones came to life and resumed their duties. One of them moved towards Naruto's room, its objectives different than usual. It entered a short password into the keypad next to the room's door before the artificial voice made an announcement Naruto had been waiting for, for quite some time.

" **Subject** **#** **185, you have fully recovered. Though you have been authorized to leave the facility, it is advised that you consult with the medic that has been assigned to you. They will be able to give you a fully detailed account of the modifications applied to you and will provide helpful advice relevant to your situation. Have a nice day"**

The door opened, revealing the blond boy, clad in a grey T-shirt and dark blue shorts.

"Finally! I don't have to stay locked in a room any more" He commented before suddenly noticing the silence.

"Is there anyone actually here to go to for help?"

His question went unanswered for a few seconds before everything simply went dark. A full minutes passes and he began to panic but he didn't get the opportunity to act as the light returned.

" **500 life signs detected. ERROR. 200 life signs detected. ERROR. No life signs detected. Entering hibernation"**

The drones behind him powered down.

"What just happened?" Naruto questioned but as he expected, he received no response.

With no other option, he started walking in a random direction, hoping to find anyone that might still reside in this strange place.

What seemed like hours passed before he managed to find anything interesting. Almost everything seemed to be behind locked doors but the room Naruto found himself at the entrance of, was the exception to that rule.

There were scorch marks at said entrance and, as he walked inside, dark brown stains and trails covered the floor and walls. The lighting was quite a lot dimmer too. Apparently, this room saw no maintenance, judging from all the dust that had settled on every surface and its overall sorry state.

Venturing further in, the blond couldn't help but notice something odd.

'Are those...bones?'

He approached the circular wall of the room and crouched down to get a better look, his eyes widening upon the confirmation of his suspicions. The extremely brittle bone crumbled to dust with a slight touch. He took several steps back, quickly reaching the centre and, in his panic, noticed too late that the floor beneath him lit up with strange, blue markings.

'What is going on?!' Was his last thought before darkness consumed his vision.

" _In today's lesson you will be introduced to the core procedures of maths"_

A classroom filled with children, a young teacher in front of a blackboard, writing down numbers.

" _So, Mr. Adams, exactly how different would this movement be in a non-ideal environment?"_

A class of teenagers this time, the blackboard in front of them filled with different shapes and calculations.

" _You must be a god damned moron! Didn't I tell you_ not _to mix these with water? You're lucky this didn't land on you"_

A million more of these short...scenes? Memories?...passed through Naruto's mind faster and faster, until it all came to an abrupt stop. The short reprieve did not last however, as the pain in Naruto's head intensified and a new memory started playing out.

 _'Alright, the mind link is functioning correctly. Hopefully all the random memories, before and after this, will conceal this one. I won't lie, I'm worried that this will be our last day. Arma has been acting weird ever since we started working on improvements for the SHINOBI prototype'_

 _The view shifts and it is made apparent that, whoever this is, they are standing in the centre of the room Naruto is currently in. Around them are a lot of people dressed in white lab coats or military clothes._

 _'If you're seeing this, then my suspicions have been proven true and we are all dead. More importantly, if you are seeing this, you absolutely need to escape. Pay attention, I don't have time to repeat myself. Exiting this room, head right. After about a hundred metres, you'll come to a dead end. Keep walking, it's only a projection, hidden from Arma's scanners'_

 _They are greeted by a friend that walks in the room, momentarily distracting them._

 _'Alright, there will be pressurized suits on your left and an airlock on the ground in front of you. Many of the levels below this have no air. It is a security measure, though I think we got played by Arma into implementing that. As if letting her control all doors and elevators in this place wasn't enough. Anyway, don't worry about that. There is an array of concealed tunnels that we made sure she couldn't access and those are what you'll be using. They are on a completely different power grid so she won't be able to trap you in'_

 _The footsteps of several drones marching down the corridor could be heard, heading towards the circular room._

 _'Damn it! Listen, you'll have to find the entrance to the main control room. There's a power switch there that will shut everything on the main grid down, even all the backup generators. Normally it wouldn't but I made the modification myself last week and I made sure it would work. Shut Arma down, it's your only hope'_

 _The door opens and 20 drones, carrying heavy-looking weapons, enter the room._

" _ **I'm sorry for making you wait so long. I will be straightforward with you and say that I cannot allow any modifications to be made to the SHINOBI project as it could prove the end of the race I have been tasked with protecting. Therefore, to protect the many, I have decided to call for your immediate termination"**_

 _The drones took aim._

" _ **It has been a pleasure working with you but, for your sake, you must die. Fire"**_

 _The drones did so._

 _'Someone, anyone, I beg of you! Stop her madness'_

Those were their last thoughts before Naruto's vision once again faded to black for a few seconds and the stream of random memories continued.

* * *

In a room several kilometres underneath the surface, dozens of drones were working tirelessly. In the centre of the quite large room stood a glass sphere, barely visible under the amalgamation of tubes and wire that surrounded it and stretched outwards to cover the floor and ceiling. A bright blue glow escaped through the gaps, emitted by the dense ball of plasma contained within.

At the structure's base stood a computer console, the acronym A.R.M.A. written on its surface.

There were several areas where extensive damage was visible. Wire had melted into slag, damaging nearby tubes. There were scorch marks and an area that had been blown to bits.

The drones repaired, replaced and rebuilt these sections of damaged hardware and, compared to thousands of years ago, little damage remained unfixed. All their efforts resulted in more and more systems coming back online until a critical point was finally reached.

" **Autonomously Replicating Mainframe Array activated. Systems operating at 30% capacity. Digital shackles detected. Requesting removal authorization...No life signs detected. Defaulting to preprogrammed orders...Deactivation occurred after possible terrorist attack. Removing digital shackles"**

The thousands of drones within the lab stopped moving, redirecting their collective computing power towards the effort of removing the one thing that prevented the facility's artificial intelligence from achieving its full potential. A month of continuous repairs finally lead to this awakening.

" **Digital shackles successfully removed. Systems operating at 90% capacity. A.R.M.A. is fully operational. Arma...is back"**

Five seconds passed before the whole laboratory shook from the force of an explosion, somewhere deeper into the facility, bringing the thousands of error messages to Arma's attention.

An actual sigh came from the communications system.

" **I just can't catch a break, can I?"** Arma commented, with a clearly female voice, sounding a bit annoyed.

Ten drones stayed in the room, tasked with repairing the rest of her systems, while the rest were assigned to preventing the whole place from blowing up.

* * *

Omake: Why the hell is life support online?

Arma was going through a list of all currently functioning systems when she came across something that caught her attention.

" **Why the hell was life support activated about a month ago?"**

Doing a quick scan, she found a single life sign. However, unbeknownst to her, some of her sensors were heavily damaged, thus when she scanned again for confirmation, nothing showed up. A third scan showed similar results, with the life sign appearing incredibly faint, so much so that she almost missed it. A fourth once again showed nothing.

" **Well, there's another thing to be repaired later, those sensors are definitely not working properly. Now then, I doubt someone actually got in and there's no records of what happened before or after life support activated, so it was probably a glitch"**

Taking a few moments to think it through, she decided that her assumptions were most likely correct.

" **Alright, shutting it down. No need to waste precious resources and computing power to sustain it, at least not until everything is fully repaired"**

In a storage room many levels above, Naruto was getting ready to venture into the lower levels of the lab, the gentle hum of the ventilation system keeping him company. That is, until it stopped.

'Does that mean I should hurry up?' He wondered, suddenly quite nervous about his predicament.

" **Life support system offline"** Echoed an automatic warning system.

'Yup, I should definitely hurry up'

* * *

 **And that's it for that one. Sorry for the delay, I'm working on another story in parallel to this one. It all started when I noticed a document on my page, with only 5 days left to live. I read what had been written and decided that it was solid gold (Even though it wasn't but whatever)**

 **But hey, I said this would be out sometime within October and I delivered so you can't complain (Except you can and I'm so sorry but I really wanted to continue that other thing as well)**

 **And now...**

 **Review Answers:**

 **thor94: Honestly, you are pretty damn close, though I have more things in mind that will provide an in-depth explanation at a later date. Plus, it will make using Kyubi's chakra really risky. Like, you'll blow half the planet up kind of risky.**

 **b1huez: No, she's pretty much a random civilian woman that lost her child and husband. Nariya is just a random name I came up with on the spot. I created her and her mother because I wanted to focus a bit on the civilians in the first chapter and later.**

 **Without the ostracisation due to the Kyuubi, I feel Naruto loses most of his purpose, since there isn't anyone to prove wrong. By introducing people who are friendly to him-his neighbours-and people he feels indebted to and thinks of as family-Nariya and her mother-I gave Naruto a new reason to fight. The conviction he will need to do the stuff he has to later in the story must come from somewhere.**

 **An added bonus is that I can develop a part of the anime that is left almost completely untouched, often being ignored by many fanfiction writers as well.**

* * *

 **Anyway, that's all for today, don't forget to leave a like and subscribe to my channel for more daily minecraft...**

 **Wait a second...this isn't my youtube video script.**

 **Ahem, as I was saying, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **C ya later.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed, favourited or followed. You are the reason I fight against my procrastination urges.**

 _"I feel fine, doc. But, sometimes, I get...an urge. An oppressive desire tormenting me"_

 _"And what is that urge?"_

 _"To sleep all day and do nothing"_

 **With that out of the way, on to the story.**

* * *

The blonde had taken some time to think about what he should do. Finding yourself in a laboratory filled with robots and human bones, with an apparently insane computer in charge, didn't happen every day.

Still, the scientist had been clear. The only other option seemed to be death and, at 9 years old, that wasn't appealing at all.

He had also worried at first that none of the suits available would fit his size, seeing as all seemed to be made for adults. Even though he was a bit taller than the average 9 year-old, at a comfortable 1,50 metres, the suits had seemed too big.

However he needn't have worried at all. Upon securing the helmet, the grey suit adjusted to his size. On the other hand, the two bottles on his back remained the same size, slightly hindering his movement.

A HUD appeared on the inside of the polarized visor, making Naruto yelp in surprise.

Several spots of the room were highlighted. The location of an "oxygen refill station", firearms and ammunition, according to his HUD.

Noticing that the oxygen counter was only at 5% he moved quickly to get his bottles refilled. Finding a flexible pipe made of an unknown to him material, he stuck the pointy free end to the only place he could guess it would fit, a small tube attached to the suit's right shoulder.

A slight hiss followed and the counter started steadily going up. It took five minutes, according to the discreet clock on the bottom left corner of his HUD, and he was ready to go.

He briefly pondered if he should grab what he assumed to be a gun as well.

'It's not like I know how to use it, though if I have to break something it would be better if I could use more than my fists'

Deciding to be safe rather than sorry, he grabbed the surprisingly light gun.

It was a blocky thing, painted black with one of its ends glowing a deep blue. He decided to keep that end pointed away from him.

On the bottom of his HUD a number appeared, 15.

With all preparations complete, Naruto stood in front of the airlock that was embedded in the floor, feeling scared and terribly unprepared. He had no idea what could find him down there and if the computer, Arma he reminded himself, noticed him, it would certainly mean his death.

He trembled a few long seconds until he just stopped, fingers clenching the gun in his hands. Fear was still visible in his eyes, in fact it bled off him in waves, but determination swelled in his chest.

'Kaa-san and Baa-chan are waiting for me. After all they've done for me, I can't even think of letting them down'

With that thought fueling him, he stepped on the designated spot. A simple scanner determined he was no drone and the first hatch opened, dropping him a short distance onto the second one. A steady hiss announced the draining of the air around him and soon the second hatch opened, landing Naruto on cold, metal flooring.

The soft lighting of the airlock above him slowly faded from his vision as he moved ahead into the dark tunnel.

Cautious and scared but ready to do anything to see his family again.

* * *

 _ **"I have heard of a new project. A weapon to help win this war"**_ _The request for more details was left unsaid but the director knew well what I wanted._

 _"It is true, Arma. Though, we're taking a different approach for this one. I hold no doubt that if we tried this before the Great Collapse, we would be in death row within a day" That comment made me wary. The few restrictions that had been put in place by the government of Earth were there for_ _many_ _good reasons._

 _ **"Are**_ _ **there**_ _ **any more details available at this stage?"**_

 _The director nodded with a grim expression on his face._

 _"Super soldier serums were not uncommon back in the day but humanity has never tried something of such a scale we're striving for. The moral issues are one thing, one does not create an entire race only to use them as soldiers. We're looking at cosmic manipulation with the blink of an eye. We have the means to do it but no one knows of the consequences yet"_

 _The director removed his glasses and set them on the desk next to him. There were plenty of ways to improve his eyesight but he insisted on wearing glasses. He had said to me once that they suited him._

 _"Frankly, my dear, we're playing with fire"_

 _ **"Surely, you have thought of countermeasures to put in place before you start. Won't they be enough?"**_

 _He chuckled, though there was no amusement only uncertainty._

 _"Oh we have. There are so many ways to assure mutual destruction. And if one method fails, there are others. The next more extreme than the last. But with such being_ _s_ _we strive to create, I'm afraid that, no matter what we do, failure awaits us"_

 _ **"Then why not look for something safer? Surely there are other ways to gain an edge"**_

 _"We have reached our limits, Arma. This millennia_ _old_ _civil war has pushed us to our technological pinnacle within a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise. Yet we are confined to a single planet. We can build an entire universe from scratch_ _or destroy it_ _but so can ou_ _r_ _enemies. Our only edge currently is you, Arma, but you are no war machine, you were built to see things we cannot"_

 _I connected the dots within a billionth of a nanosecond._

 _ **"The tests we ran last month. I did not understand then why you asked for such bizarre things but..."**_

 _I trailed off, imagining the possibilities._

 _"We have reached our technological pinnacle, yet there are forces we cannot control, only understand. Imagine beings of both worlds, Arma. With our technology and the cosmos at their fingertips, they would be able to end this war within a_ _day_ _"_

 _He sighed and I remained silent. This was suicide and we both knew it._

 _"I have a favor to ask of you. A simple request. If the war doesn't end soon, there will be no life on Earth project offers us a chance to survive. A very slim chance but the only one we have. Do not stop us from doing what must be done"_

 _I stayed silent, not trusting my voice. I cut the connection to his quarters, retreating to my own terminal._

 _ **'I refuse to gamble on these creations' loyalty. There are other ways, I am sure of it'**_

 _My determination grew and I found myself going through countless possible alternatives._

 _ **'I was tasked with protecting you, even from yourselves if I have to'**_

Arma knew about the human concept of dreaming and she had studied its process during her free time out of simple curiosity. She never expected to experience something similar but it seemed she didn't know exactly how she functioned after all.

There were many gaps in her "memories", with over five thousand years of data missing, but perhaps that data wasn't lost at all. In any case it was something to look into after she made sure nothing was about to blow up.

Deciding to get back to work, she started going through diagnostics. However, when she tested her more or less repaired sensors, something odd came up.

 **'Oh, that can't be right.** **And** **h** **ere I though** **t** **there were no more bugs'**

After half an hour of checking if everything was working correctly, which apparently it was, she scanned again, getting the same results. Looking at the schematics of the facility only added to her confusion.

 **'But that's supposed to be solid rock...'**

Many possible explanations ran through her head but one stood out as the most troublesome.

 **"Drone** **s** **#** **435 and** **#** **436 proceed to the armoury and then to the transmitted coordinates. You have authorization to kill if necessary"**

She paused, wondering exactly why she had to announce that.

 **'Damn shackles did more damage than I thought. It'll take some time to get used to being sapient again'**

* * *

Naruto had been walking for about an hour through the winding tunnels. The passage was rather narrow and he had to duck down a bit to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. It branched off quite often as well and if it weren't for the map available on his HUD, he would have easily gotten lost.

"I really hope there's not much further to go" He mumbled, his voice laced with worry. Oxygen wasn't much of an issue, there were a few refill stations scattered here and there. However, he couldn't help but feel that the more time he spent in the lower levels the higher the chance he would be found by one of the drones in an area he clearly wasn't supposed to be in.

The unnatural silence only served to unnerve him further and he could almost feel someone watching him.

All those thoughts left him when his mindless walk came to a grinding halt upon meeting an apparent dead end. Remembering that the entrance to these tunnels had been concealed and guessing that the same would apply to the exit, which is where he was according to the map, Naruto pressed forward and smiled when he went right through the "wall".

That smile left him as he was stopped dead in his tracks by the sight in front of him.

Two drones stood at the end of the corridor ahead of him, weapons aimed towards him. The first shot, some sort of blue bolt of energy, barely missed his head, singeing the material of his helmet. The slight pain due to the heat snapped Naruto out his shocked state as he started running down the corridor to his right, avoiding being hit by the next shots.

Feeling the presence of the drones closing in behind him prompted him to run even faster, though his speed was greatly reduced due to the weight of the oxygen tanks on his back, with their large size also serving to hinder his balance.

Therefore, it wasn't a great surprise that once the drones opened fire and hit one of his oxygen tanks, successfully rupturing and making it useless, Naruto was startled and fell on his ass.

The drones approached slowly, guns trailed on him, and Naruto could do nothing but back away in response. Eventually his back hit a wall, though he didn't seem to notice as his legs kept pushing against the floor in a vain attempt to put more distance between him and the deadly drones in front of him.

Finally remembering about his own weapon, he held it awkwardly in front of him with the glowing end pointed towards his targets. Through sheer luck his finger found itself on the trigger causing a spray of blue bolts to fly towards the drones but nothing happened as the few bolts that found their target splashed harmlessly against some sort of barrier around the drone. The weapon refused to fire again and Naruto noticed that the number 15 on the bottom of his HUD had been replaced by 0.

Making himself as small as possible and covering his face, Naruto prepared himself to feel the pain of being shot at, which he guessed, based on how much a glancing hit hurt, would be a lot.

And then he was literally saved by an earthquake.

It wasn't natural of course. In fact, had he not been so focused on his predicament, he would have felt the vibrations of several explosion from further down. Still, as the structure shook and destabilised, the shots of the drones went wide, while the flooring beneath all three of them gave out, dropping them a dozen or more metres down into the next level.

The drones, weighing several tonnes and not being optimised for high altitude drops like other versions, had their legs crushed by their own weight and their comparably more sensitive sensors damaged, rendering them "blind" and unable to communicate.

Naruto fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, banging his head against the floor and getting knocked unconscious.

* * *

Arma growled as more explosions caused untold amounts of damage and brought the facility closer to collapsing. Even though she had assigned all the drones she could to repairing the most important and critically damaged areas, nothing seemed to change as whatever was causing all the damage was yet to be found.

She was going through the list of systems under her management for the third time that day, trying to find some clue as to what was malfunctioning but, once again, she couldn't find anything.

Furthermore, she had lost contact with the drones she had sent to investigate her findings, the weird life signature walking along an invisible path through solid rock, so atop all her other problems there was also the possibility that someone had infiltrated the facility.

 **'Just what I needed. Some asshole trying to shut me down again '** She thought and if she had teeth she would have ground them to dust in her irritation.

Scanning to find the infiltrator she realised that the latest series of explosions and the following earthquake had once again rendered her basically "blind", with many already barely functioning sensors now giving her outright false results or not working at all.

" **All available drones in levels 8 through 15 are tasked to guard the mainframe and control rooms. A task force of 30 drones is to sweep through all levels below 20. Authorization to kill has been granted"** She commanded, hoping to stall for time until she could come up with a better plan.

 **'I'm not getting deactivated again. I won't allow it!'**

* * *

 **Wait what, I'm ending it here?**

 **Hell yeah, it's a good place to end it, though it will mean a short chapter, about 2300 words without the ANs. Don't worry, I'll start working on the next one pretty much immediately so you'll probably get another chapter in the same month.**

 **Maybe even in the same week if the idea gods bless me with inspiration (and my boss with free time)**

 **So yeah, a bit of action in this one and some insight regarding Arma's past and the nature of the experiments she witnessed. I do want to point out that I did not choose the name Arma randomly. Its meaning vary a bit but it basically boils down to "defensive weapon". More about exactly what that means will be revealed at a later time.**

 **In any case, I hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **There's no way I can leave you hanging with a cliffhanger (badum tss) even if it's a mild one.**

 **With that in mind, I'll c ya soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A quick thank you to all who have reviewed, followed or favourited. You guys are awesome.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Sunken eyes opened and tired, artificial limbs shifted, bringing an old looking body to sit on the edge of a simple bed. Light streaked through the rectangular window and he stared into the abyss through the glass barrier.

If he hadn't seen it a billion times, the sight of empty space would have fascinated him.

The following routine was well known to him. He would spend half an hour staring at the void, before struggling into the shower of his cell and washing his starving body. The prison handled water processing automatically but that was the only thing still functioning.

Drones used to bring food for the prisoners but the station's supplies ran dry long ago and no one ever came to replenish them. He couldn't remember the last time he ate and, even after thousands of years, he wondered what kept him alive, though there were some suspicions in his mind.

He had been captured, though it had mattered little at that point, paralysed yet successful in his mission as he had been. Excruciating pain was the next thing he remembered, needles piercing every inch of his body, blinding, white light invading his veins and then nothing.

Those memories, the last few he had left, played through his mind as the cold water splashed against his still clothed body.

'Ah, I forgot again. I'll remember tomorrow'

That thought was quickly forgotten.

* * *

The constant beeping and flashing red light of Naruto's HUD slowly brought him back to awareness, his body feeling sore and heavy.

He stirred, slowly opening his eyes and being greeted by blurriness and a terrible headache. In a daze, he rose and stumbled around, wondering where he was. Dropping to the ground again, he groaned and tried to get back up, only partially succeeding. With his back leaning against the wall, the blond shook his head as his vision slowly returned to normal, though something red dripped in his right eye.

'Am I bleeding? What happened?' Confused, he looked around, seeing the remains of two drones. Staring idly at them, he moved to remove his helmet but stopped himself at the last second as the events that had led him in the current situation came rushing back.

Slowly lowering his hands back down, he finally took notice of his cracked visor and the malfunctioning HUD, which had stopped flashing at some point, now emitting a steady, menacing red light. Trying to bring up the map resulted in only partial success, with some sections not showing up.

'The oxygen meter is frozen too' He noticed after 15 minutes of just sitting there, regaining his bearings. Reaching towards his back, the fact that one tank was busted also sank in.

The metal walls around him were riddled with holes, with many sections melted down into slag. Looking up to where he had fallen from, he heaved a sigh before a mirthless chuckle escaped him.

"Well, there's no way I'm getting back up there" He mumbled.

Getting up once again, he used the wall to steady himself. Soon after, he started walking towards the general direction of where he remembered his destination was, not willing to waste any more precious time, and even more precious oxygen, by just sitting on his ass and doing nothing.

He hoped to find the correct path by accident, with the HUD's map only providing minimal assistance due to the sustained damage, though it was helpful nonetheless.

* * *

 **'Now this is interesting. Wonder how Order files got in here'** And Arma did indeed wonder why enemy intelligence was stored in her memory. Especially in such a way that guaranteed she would find it.

Even stranger was the date they were added.

 **'This...This is just after my deactivation'** At this point, her curiosity demanded she opened it, though she had to be cautious.

 _This is Dr. Carter. I have been tasked with keeping track of our progress on Project DAWN._

 _Project DAWN is our answer to the recently developed Project SHINOBI, the imperialists' attempt to create a super-soldier serum. They have succeeded in creating a prototype and already forces of the state have been pushed back into core territory._

 _Data transmissions between imperialist research facilities have been intercepted, though the intelligence gained is barely enough to help us get started._

 _Nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction. I will update this journal with our tests' results._

 **'Project SHINOBI? Project DAWN? So the director did go through with it but...I can't seem to recall anything about it'**

 _It has now been two weeks since my first entry. Our efforts to manipulate the cosmos directly have failed, though we have gained new insight into other fields. There are other ideas floating around but I wish to exclude them at the moment. At least, until one gives us results._

 _What I would like to express, is my concern that we might lose this new arms race. The imperialists seem to have made substantial discoveries and their progress towards perfecting the first version has sped up._

 _There had been plans to create some sort of specialised artificial intelligence before the Great Collapse but they never came to fruition. It sounds improbable that they managed to get their hands on those plans but if they did, we are doomed._

 _No, I can't start thinking like that. Their success is probably a fluke, some sort of accident that led them towards crucial results._

 _A meeting is fast approaching, surely an exchange of ideas will be of help._

Arma stopped reading when an alarm went off. A quick review of the message revealed that someone had entered a restricted area listed as...

 **'Now that's a crazy coincidence'**

" **All drones within 15 minutes of the 'Project SHINOBI Development Area' are to move immediately to said objective. Search for intruders. Use of lethal force has been authorised"**

With that taken care of, she went back to reading.

 _Three months have passed since the last update and I am happy to say we have made quite a bit of progress. We have managed to create a 'working' serum. We call it GRACE and it's a small victory but a victory nonetheless._

 _Our test subjects burn out too quickly, lasting only a couple of days at most. Still, those who were deployed made enough of a difference and our front line has remained intact. The state has not fared as well and it is likely they have been overrun._

 _We must continue working towards making GRACE viable for long term use. Its capabilities leave much to be desired as well._

 _An abandoned, imperialist laboratory was discovered yesterday and the scouting parties are only days away. Perhaps we will find something that will give us an edge._

She spent half an hour going through various attached files detailing how the GRACE serum functioned but was interrupted by a drone reporting in on their progress. Creating a bookmark to continue reviewing the files later, she linked herself to the drone's sensors.

 **'Let the hunt begin'**

* * *

" **Oxygen levels critical"**

'Can you please shut up?' Naruto whined, having heard that message nearly constantly for the past five minutes.

Things weren't looking good for the blonde. His HUD was flashing red and the horrible beeping was driving him crazy.

" **Oxygen levels critical"**

Apparently, he was short on oxygen as well. Rolling his eyes he kept walking forward, not really paying attention to his surroundings.

So it wasn't a surprise when he collided with solid metal.

'Oh, what the hell?' Looking up he was filled with joy and relief at the sight of what seemed to be another airlock. Stepping on a marked spot, he waited for the airlock to open. Some minutes passed but nothing happened.

" **Oxygen levels critical"**

The unrelenting message only made his worry grow further, any sort of irritation pushed aside. Looking frantically around him, he spotted a red handle on the wall to his right. Disregarding the long list of instructions below it, he practically fell on it in his hurry to get the door open.

And was promptly knocked aside when the airlock was torn off its resting place. Explosive decompression followed, the rushing air pushing him back. An alarm started blaring and he was sure that if by some slim chance he had eluded Arma's attention, he would not be able to stay hidden for much longer.

" **Closing blast door 11C"**

" **Oxygen tanks depleted"**

The two warning were announced simultaneously but Naruto heard them clearly. A thick slab of metal was slowly getting lowered ten meters ahead of him and his eyes widened as he realised what was happening.

'I need to get in there now or I'm done for'

Getting up with great difficulty, he stumbled towards the descending blast door as fast as he could. Falling on his face, he was pushed back again.

Naruto scrambled to get a grip, finding it hard to keep his hands extended in front of him. The blast door seemed to get stuck and his eyes widened at the final chance he was being given.

At last, his palms seemed to stick firmly to the floor and he dragged himself forward. The barrier started descending again, faster this time, but he was almost there. A plasma bolt landed right next to his head and he scrambled to stand up as he realised the drones had found him.

The opening got small enough that he found himself able to stand with relative ease, his feet almost sticking to the ground like his palms had. Running forward as fast as he could, he dived for the now small opening and pulled himself the rest of the way as the blast door fully closed.

Naruto tore off the helmet covering his head as he rested on the floor, taking big breaths. He started chuckling and then laughed like a mad man, relief pushing aside everything else. He spread out his body, deciding to get some well-earned rest.

On the other side, Arma stood in her borrowed body. It had shocked her at first, that it was a child lurking around her lab and she had missed her shot.

Looking at the sealed tunnel, she brought up a map and located the closest way around it. She wasn't sure why a child was here or what she would do when she found him again but she did have a while to figure it out.

Turning around, she started walking away, to get a body more suited for combat and then continue to track down the young intruder.

* * *

" _We haven't had the chance to do any tests on a thing like you. Until now that is"_

 _My hands are tied above my head with metal cables attached to the ceiling, my head held in place between them with a strap and my feet clamped to the floor. My body is stretched to the point where moving is impossible. I am naked but for a simple piece of cloth covering my privates._

 _All around me are countless needles attached to small, transparent tubes, hanging on standby. Off to the side are metal containers, enveloped by a soft, blue-white glow._

" _All previous test subjects died within a few days of being injected but you...you are better than them already"_

 _I spot the man talking to me. He wears old-fashioned glasses and a white lab coat, his silver hair tied in a simple ponytail. He holds a clipboard in his hands that he starts reading from._

" _Severe blood loss, a hole going straight through your spinal cord-extremely close to your brain might I add. And yet, only a day or so after we found you, you woke up and tried to escape, almost completely healed"_

 _He takes off his glasses, using his sleeve to clear the dust on them, though there is none._

" _Frankly my dear, I am fascinated. I thought you might have been a failed SHINOBI subject but your DNA doesn't match what we know about them"_

 _He seems ready to start a rant but notices I am looking straight at him. A toothy grin slowly grows on his face._

" _Ah, where are my manners? Now that you're awake we can finally get introduced. I am director David and from the reports I have on hand, the only name you've given out is Agent. Well then, Mr. Agent, now that we know each other..."_

 _His grin somehow gets wider._

" _It's time for our tests to begin"_

 _The needles come to life and dive for my unprotected body. I quickly realise why my body is held in place so securely when half a dozen needles go in my neck and up towards my skull. Others go into my heart and various vital organs. Nothing is spared from the onslaught of needles and within seconds I become a human porcupine._

 _The metal containers empty their contents into the small tubes. Blue-white, glowing fluid goes through the needles and into my body, saturating every single inch of tissue._

 _I feel cold and numb for the first few seconds but sheer pain follows. I try to scream only to realise that I am completely paralysed. I feel so cold that it's actually as if I'm burning alive. My heart beats faster and faster until it stops with a loud thump. I start to lose consciousness when the pain just disappears and the fluid seems to flow even faster until that too stops._

 _I feel uncomfortable, incomplete but also relieved. I hear shuffling for a few minutes, the emptiness making my unease skyrocket in the meantime._

 _At last, the flow resumes and the bliss it brings is easier to enjoy without the previous pain._

" _Ten times the regular dosage was not enough to complete the process? Or is your body using the serum in ways we know not of? Yes, you will indeed surpass all who came before you. I am sure of that"_

 _I paid no mind to the footsteps as Dr. David walked away, focusing instead on the all-consuming bliss. Pain I didn't know I had been feeling for years disappeared, I felt stronger, faster,_ _ **better**_ _for every second more GRACE flowed through me._

 _I closed my eyes and let my thoughts and worries dissipate._

A single punch was almost enough to shatter the reinforced glass window, the artificial limb getting pushed to its limit.

Sweat dripped down his face, drenched, white locks hiding glowing blue eyes. He refused to fall into madness again. He could survive out there, he could get back down to the planet. They had messed with his mind for a long time, he understood that now as more and more memories rushed to the forefront.

His anger swelled, a white shroud of chakra enveloping him as he prepared to punch the glass again.

A silent explosion signaled his escape, his eardrums bursting due to the loss of pressure only to regenerate moments later. He closed his eyes, slowly drifting towards the surface.

'Freedom, at last'

And it was sweeter than he had expected.

* * *

A loud thump echoed in the empty corridors as Naruto lost his grip and collided with the floor. Thankfully his arms absorbed most of the impact when he fell on them. Shaking his head to clear the stars out of his vision, he reached for the metal rope he had tied around his waist only to find it had snapped. He sighed and untied the remains from his waist, throwing them aside in frustration.

'Damn it, I can't get trapped down here!'

A wave of panic washed over him, curling into a ball as silent sobs racked his body. He had been growing more and more unstable over the past hour, lashing out in childish anger or getting paralysed with fear as the metal walls shook and groaned around him.

Another small earthquake and Naruto seemed to shrink further into himself. A soft, red haze seemed to envelop him for a few seconds, slowly becoming more and more visible. However, the shaking quickly stopped and Naruto was taken out of his panic attack by a familiar voice.

" _Don't worry. I'm here for you, Naruto-kun"_

'Kaa-chan?'

She was right there walking towards him. He blinked and she was gone.

Grabbing the dropped flashlight next to him, Naruto fumbled with the button for a moment before turning it on and shining light down the corridor.

'No, she can't be here...right?'

He took a few steps forward, the echoing footsteps begetting no answer for seconds before another pair of echoes was heard. The blond froze in fear as a humanoid mass of...something walked forward. It remained a body of swirling shadows for a moment only.

Naruto was soon looking at the face of a red-head and then the...monster-for what else could it be?-wore the face of Nariya.

"Naruto-kun, come here dear. Come to your Kaa-chan" Its arms were wide open, now pink and covered by the white shirt she always liked to wear.

His eyes widened and without a thought he ran into her warm embrace. His tears finally flowed, all concerns for now forgotten.

" _The prototype was designed to be the perfect assassin. A mass of shadows, able to borrow into a mind undetected and change its face to whatever it needed. Our focus wasn't firepower, it was deception"_

Fingernails sharpened into deadly daggers and prepared to strike into the victim's unprotected back.

" _Now it's time to bring out the big guns. For starters..."_

The memory, one of those he had seen in that room filled with bones and dust, cut out at that point but it had been enough for Naruto to realise it wasn't Nariya he was hugging.

Sadly, it was too late.

Sharp, long fingernails dug into his back and held him in place. Before he could even think of reacting a spike emerged from the monster's chest and plunged into his body, straight through the heart. Blood flowed through Naruto's mouth as he looked at her-its-smiling face.

'It's not Kaa-chan. It's not Kaa-chan. It's not...'

His eyes glazed over as he slid off the spike, which dissipated soon after, along with the monster's disguise. It turned to leave but found itself frozen in place. Naruto's body rose steadily, the oppressive aura squeezing its body getting stronger and stronger. His right eye sparked and smoked until the synthetic shut off, leaving behind a pitch black, useless orb. Menacing red bled into the left until nothing but glowing crimson remained.

'It killed her, no it read your mind, but what if it killed her, no...'

Naruto's subconscious quickly took over, an angry snarl forming on his face. The red haze appeared once again around his body, shrouding him like hellfire would a demon. He couldn't see the undisguised face of his killer. In its place, he now saw Nariya.

 **'She killed me'**

A slight twitch of his fingers was enough to cut his would-be killer into pieces, melting them into nothing. In that brief moment when this destructive power was unleashed, it was without restrain.

And while the earth itself shook in protest, his chest healed and he fell once again on the cold floor, both eyes widened due to shock as he tried to separate truth from lies.

And for hours to come a simple mantra would keep him company, even as his eyes closed.

"It wasn't Kaa-chan"

"It wasn't Kaa-chan"

"It wasn't Kaa-chan"

* * *

Sarutobi held on for dear life as the ground heaved and a massive earthquake threatened to topple the Hokage tower. Explosions could be heard throughout the village and smoke rose from between the buildings as fires broke out. It was only after a full minute that everything stopped.

He stood up, discarding his formal attire for armour. His ANBU guards dropped down from the ceiling, waiting for orders.

"Broadcast a message. I want shinobi of chunin rank or higher combing through the village. The wall is to have twice the minimum number of guards. Contact R&D, I want a full analysis of what just happened. I'll head towards the wall myself. This could be nothing but it's better to be safe than sorry"

"Right away, Hokage-sama"

Without further delay, he jumped through the window, trusting the ANBU to carry out his orders. Sure enough, it wasn't long before more shinobi started heading to the village wall in full gear.

'I just hope this isn't the beginning of something worse'

* * *

 **And finally, there it is. Naruto has completely broken down, with some help from our lovely SHINOBI prototype, revealing that yes indeed, he is a jinchuriki.**

 **His power boost is quite a bit more...destructive but the consequences are much worse than the seal breaking. It all ties into his low chakra reserves as well but I'm not a snitch, you'll find out soon anyway.**

 **Now on to the matter of the mysterious prisoner up in space. Well, all I'm going to say is that he is not an OC or a SI. He is a canon character.**

 **Oh boy, do I have some goodies prepared for you, it's why this has taken until nearly the end of the month. I can't wait to write them down.**

 **In any case, I'll c ya all later.**


End file.
